買う means “buy”. Use it to say what you buy, where you buy it and who it is for.

The idea

買う is a godan verb: 買います is polite non-past, 買いました is polite past, 買って is the て-form and 買わない is the plain negative. Mark the purchase with を, the place of buying with で and the recipient with に.

Patterns to compare
JapaneseForm
買かうDictionary form
買かいますPolite non-past
買かいませんPolite negative
買かいましたPolite past
買かってて-form
買かわないPlain negative

Examples

  • 駅えきで切符きっぷを買かいます。I buy a ticket at the station.
  • 母ははに花はなを買かいます。I buy flowers for my mother.
  • この店みせでパンを買かいます。I buy bread at this shop.
  • 明日あした新あたらしい靴くつを買かいます。I will buy new shoes tomorrow.
  • 昨日きのう本ほんを買かいました。I bought a book yesterday.
  • 今日きょうはコーヒーを買かいません。I will not buy coffee today.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

The plain negative is 買わない, not 買あない. 買う “buy” and 飼う “keep an animal” both sound かう, but use different kanji.

Try it yourself

  1. 店みせ＿パンを買かいます。（で／に） Choose the particle in brackets.

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    で

    で marks the shop as the place where buying happens; に is not the location particle for this action.

  2. パンを＿ください。（買かう） Complete the request with the て-form of the verb.

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    買って / かって

    The final う becomes って: 買ってください is a polite request to buy.

  3. 昨日きのう、本ほんを＿。（買かう） Complete with the polite past of the verb.

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    買いました / かいました

    買いました is the polite past of 買う; 昨日 tells you the purchase was yesterday.

Use it today

Say what you will buy tomorrow and where. Then ask someone politely to buy something using 買ってください.